useless waste of money
Written: Feb 22 '01 (Updated Feb 22 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: doesn't harm
Cons: doesn't help
The Bottom Line: Do not waste your money on this useless product. It does nothing to relieve cold symptoms.
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| anyamashiro's Full Review: TheraPatch Vapor for Kids |
I think my title says it all, but if you want the nitty-gritty details…
My son was two when he got his first bad cold last fall. He couldn't breathe through his nose at all and looked miserable. I managed to get him to sleep, but he woke up an hour later, crying inconsolably. His usual means of comfort was nursing, but he couldn't do that comfortably because he couldn't breathe through his nose. Nursing was also the way he usually soothed himself back to sleep if he woke up in the middle of the night…
So, I bundled him up and headed to the nearest store at 1 am, hoping no one would give me dirty looks for having my son out so late. The selection of cold medicines was limited, but I was desperate to do something to alleviate his misery and help him get some rest. Although this product was expensive, it promised to provide "hours of relief" for coughs and irritated throats. I decided to try it.
Although my son didn't have a cough, I hoped this product would do something beneficial for him—distract him, if nothing else. (Did I mention I was a desperate mommy looking for some way to help my little guy feel better?) Here's what we discovered:
What is it?
These are patches that come sealed in separate pouches inside a box. On one side of the patch is adhesive, and on the other, mentholated medicine to be inhaled. The adhesive doesn't stick to cloth and must be applied to the skin. They have a relatively short shelf-life with an expiration date about five months from the date of purchase. If you're "lucky", you might get to try them on two different colds.
What it does NOT do:
unstuff noses
unplug sinuses
restore breathing
prevent or relieve sinus headaches
help your child sleep
relieve, ease, or decrease coughs
soothe dry, irritated, or sore throats
hurt when removed
prevent any obstacles to your child pulling it off as soon as you put it on (even in his sleep)
What DOES it do?
The patches didn't have any noticeable effect on my son, but I was curious to see for myself what they were like. So when I caught my son's cold (of course), I tried it. I felt a cold, tingly feeling in the skin directly under the patch, especially when applied to the lips (I thought if I moved it closer to my nose and throat it might do something for me…). It did nothing to relieve my cold symptoms or soothe my dry, irritated throat. I was so disgusted, I asked epinions to add the product so I could warn people not to waste their money as I had.
This February, my son got his second bad cold, and once again was unable to sleep (thus so was I). He had a bad cough that woke him up every half hour. Since I already had this product in my medicine cabinet and it was specifically designed to relieve coughs, I put one on him in the middle of the night. He promptly pulled it off.
Although I could still smell the patch with my slightly-stuffed nose, I couldn't find it in the darkness, and I didn't want to turn on the light and wake him up further. I got another one and put it on him, grabbing his hands and holding them to keep him from pulling it off. I managed to get him to sleep with the patch still on. It did nothing to relieve his cough, and several hours later, he managed to pull it off, too. Since it hadn't helped, I didn't bother applying another one.
Yes, you guessed it, I caught the cold and decided to try it again to see if it eased my cough at all. It didn't. It did nothing to relieve any of my cold symptoms. Although I could feel a very slight tingling in my throat when I inhaled, it didn't relieve the dryness, irritation, or pain.
On the positive side, the scent is a mildly fruity eucalyptus one that my son and I found inoffensive. The patches can be applied and removed easily and painlessly. They can even be removed and reapplied numerous times without losing their "stick". If worn for a long time, the adhesive leaves a gray ring around the edges (like a band-aid sometimes does).
All in all, these are very expensive scented stickers at $1 apiece (they come seven in a box). You'd do better to mix up a pitcher of oj and warm up a pot of chicken soup while you wait for some genius to discover a cure for the all-too-common cold.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
anyamashiro
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Member: Andrea
Location: Dowagiac, MI
Reviews written: 50
Trusted by: 37 members
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